Practical Performance Measurement by Stacey Barr. If you had to sum up Stacey Barr’s new book in a single word, and indeed her whole approach to performance measurement, you would say ‘practical’. Stacey Barr is one of the world’s foremost authorities on organisational performance measurement. She is internationally recognised and the creator of the PuMP® methodology. She has been directing her company since 1999 and has helped many organisations develop meaningful performance measures worldwide.
After a couple of introductory chapters, Practical Performance Measurement moves to the familiar ground of the PuMP® methodology with a section on each of the eight steps. The book recognises that developing meaningful performance measures and, most importantly, getting institutional buy-in from everyone is a long-term process. However, and refreshingly so, Barr advocates getting started quickly through an eight-week PuMP Blueprint Pilot Project. The rationale is that action is better than inaction and that, just like everything else, course corrections can be made in flight. Using famous quotes at the start of each chapter, Barr effectively hammers home her key points. In this case, a wonderful Walt Disney quote is used: “The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing”. Something that many of us who have worked in large organisations can identify with.
Barr acknowledges: “PuMP® is not the only way to go about performance measurement” but goes on to say, “It [PuMP] is the way that reflects my journey and my experience, and it’s helped thousands of others who didn’t have a way or a way that was working for them.”
Of this, we can be sure the PuMP® methodology is a good one. Thousands of people in business can testify to this; furthermore, academia has recently endorsed the approach through accreditation from George Washington University.
The book is full of good practical, down-to-earth advice. Structured as a step-by-step guide, it is easy to read and can be easily applied to any situation. The focus is absolutely on performance measurement, and therefore it sits well in larger strategic framework methodologies such as the Balanced Scorecard. Barr says of the Balanced Scorecard, “The Balanced Scorecard is a powerful strategy tool because it asks us to be very deliberate about what truly matters for organisational and company success” she goes on to say, “Little in the Balanced Scorecard literature provides detailed advice on designing and finding truly meaningful measures.” In this, she is correct.
Combining the practical advice and guidance in “Practical Performance Measurement” with a strategic framework like the Balanced Scorecard, a formidable process for strategic management and evidence of success through performance measurement can be harnessed.
